The present invention relates to protectors with sensors and methods of molding end parts of the protectors with the sensors. When alien substances including fingers are caught between openings of automobiles and opening or closing objects for opening or closing the openings of automobiles, the sensors of the protectors output corresponding signals for detecting the alien substances. The opening or closing objects include: doors such as sliding doors on wagons, station wagons or the like sliding frontward and rearward of the automobile bodies and back doors; and sun roofs.
A protector 10, 20 with a sensor is installed on an automobile including a wagon shown in FIG. 4 of which a sliding door 1 (or a back door) opens or closes an opening of an automobile body or on an automobile shown in FIG. 5 of which sun roof 2 opens or closes the opening of the automobile body.
For example, the protector 10 with the sensor, extending in an upper and lower direction as shown in FIG. 6, is installed on a front end surface of the sliding door 1. The protector 10 with the sensor extends frontward of the automobile body from the front end surface of the sliding door 1.
As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the protector 10 with the sensor, installed on the front end surface of the sliding door 1 comprises: an installation base member 11 having a substantially U-shaped cross section including an inner-cabin side wall 11a, an outer-cabin side wall 11b and a connecting wall 11c; and a hollow part 12 integrally molded with the installation base member 11. The hollow part 12 comprises a sensor (pressure sensitive sensor) 80 which outputs a corresponding electric signal upon detecting the alien substance such as a part of human bodies (fingers, hands or legs) between the sliding door 1 and a body side opening (may also be front door or side door) (see, for example, Japanese unexamined Patent Publications No. 2010-15696, No. 2001-297842 and No. 2005-114395).
In a lower part of the protector 10 with the sensor, a channel part 13 having a substantially C-shaped cross section is integrally molded with the inner-cabin side wall 11a side of the installation base member 11 for holding wire harness 90 joined with the pressure sensitive sensor 80. The installation base member 11 has a plurality of holding lips 14 formed inside and a core 15 having a substantially U-shaped cross section embedded therein for increasing rigidity. In addition, a decorative lip 16 is provided on the outer-cabin side wall 11b of the installation base member 11.
The sensor (pressure sensitive sensor) 80 has two core wires (electrode wires) 31, 32 extending in an upper and lower direction (longitudinal direction) embedded in conductive rubber-like elastic bodies 34, 35 with a space 33 therebetween, which are fixed in the hollow part 12. As the alien substance is caught between the sliding door 1 and the body side opening while closing the sliding door 1, a part of the hollow part 12 is pressed and crushed, and then the rubber-like elastic bodies 34, 35 contact with each other and the two core wires 31, 32 short. Resultant change in electric signal is transmitted to a control unit 40 joined with leads 36 which are connected with the two core wires 31, 32 in a lower side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor, and as a result, the alien substances are detected. The leads 36 covered with insulator are tied by the wire harness 90. Top ends of the leads 36, bared from covered parts 37, are naked wires.
As shown in FIGS. 9(a) to 9(c), in the lower side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor, the leads 36 are piled on the two core wires 31, 32 drawn out in a longitudinal direction (left direction in FIGS. 9(a) to 9(c) relative to a sheet), the leads 36 and the two core wires 31, 32 are connected by resistance welding or soft soldering (FIG. 9(b)) and an insert 25 fills up the space 33 which is exposed in an end part (FIG. 9(c)). Then, as shown in FIG. 10, a wire connection part 70, the insert 25 and a part of the wire harness 90 are embedded in a die molded part by die molding and are not exposed.
Also, as shown in FIG. 11, in an upper side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor, legs of a resistor 39 are piled on the two core wires 31, 32 drawn out in the longitudinal direction (right direction in FIG. 11 relative to the sheet), the legs and the two core wires 31, 32 are connected by resistance welding or soft soldering and an insert 26 fills up the space 33. Then, the wire connection parts 70, the insert 26 and the resistor 39 are embedded in a die molded part by the die molding and are not exposed.
In FIGS. 10 and 11, dotted lines show the die molded parts.
The inserts 25, 26 fill up the space 33 for preventing decline in sensor function caused by die molding material flowing in the space 33 during the die molding. The inserts 25, 26 prevent the two core wires 31, 32 including the wire connection parts 70 from contacting with each other in the die molded part and shorting. In addition, the inserts 25, 26 enable the wiring and the resistor 39 to be securely sealed inside the die molded part.
While examples of the material used for the inserts include PA6 materials and PET materials, ordinary die molded terminal parts have been made of materials of different kinds. The structure necessitates formation of dies for the inserts for forming the inserts in an extra process, which increases costs.
Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-15696 discloses to insert end caps into the hollow parts for preventing resin from going into the hollow parts while die molding the terminal parts, but does not disclose material of the end caps.
Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-297842 does not disclose to die mold the terminal parts.
Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-114395 discloses a method of simply molding the terminal parts by processes which are easily automated, but the terminal parts are molded by a plurality of processes, not by a single die molding.
The wire connection parts 70 and the resistor 39 are easily affected by injection molding pressure while the wire connection parts 70 and the resistor 39 are being embedded in the die molded parts. In this connection, for preventing the wire connection part 70 or the resistor 39 from being exposed or for preventing the wires from being damaged, in the lower side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor, the wire connection part 70 and the leads 36 have to be firmly fixed on a surface of the insert 25 by adhesive for positioning, while in the upper side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor, the wire connection parts 70 and the resistor 39 have to be firmly fixed on a surface of the insert 26 by adhesive for positioning.
The structure necessitates an additional process of adhesion, and an increase in amount of adhesive to be used has caused insufficient adhesion. In addition, the use of adhesive tends to cause unevenness, which makes it difficult to stably fix the wire connection parts 70 and the resistor 39.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to lower costs and simplify operability of die molding the terminal parts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the protectors with the sensors capable of simply fixing the wire connection parts on the inserts which prevent the die molding materials from flowing in, not solely by the adhesive.